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When most of us think about the word “data'' our eyes glaze over as a million Excel cells appear in our minds, putting us to sleep. So clever folks out there rolled up their sleeves and got to work, making visual depictions of data that help us better understand the world.

This online group shares various cool and interesting maps that help put all sorts of facts and figures into context. So get comfortable, prepare to brush up on some geography, and get to scrolling. Be sure to upvote your favorite posts and share your thoughts and observations in the comments section below. 

#1

Good Political Maps Of Oceania Are Hard To Come By

Good Political Maps Of Oceania Are Hard To Come By

RecordingFancy8515 Report

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Tucker Cahooter
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kiwis breathe a sigh of relief that they are not being overlooked for a change

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#2

The Literal Meaning Of Every Country's Name In Africa

The Literal Meaning Of Every Country's Name In Africa

Homesanto Report

#3

Endings Of Places In Poland

Endings Of Places In Poland

DaveBensonPhilips Report

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Bernd Herbert
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is the result of an old dialectal boundary. and another fun fact: In Northeastern Germany you will find lots of places that end in -ow, showing that the old Slawic Tribes were living in that area, way before any of today's national borders.

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If you have ever taken a casual look at an average map of the world, you have no doubt been struck by the sheer size of Russia and, to a lesser extent, Canada. This does make sense, as these are the largest countries on the planet, however, did you know that a little feature of mapmaking called Mercator projection makes them look significantly larger than they really are?

This comes from the Flemish geographer and cartographer Gerardus Mercator, who created a “cylindrical” map to represent the world in 1569. After all, unless you are looking at a globe, most maps are drawn, painted, or printed on a rectangular surface. Imagine the tube-like maps pirates are always dragging around and you have a pretty good depiction of an early Mercator map. 

#5

What’s The Most Popular Sport In Each Country?

What’s The Most Popular Sport In Each Country?

geographyfacts Report

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WindySwede
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Correct usage of football ⚽️ /s ☺️ not that I care about sports, just find the wordusage peculiar..

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#6

Time Needed To Earn 1€ Million Earning On Average Wage

Time Needed To Earn 1€ Million Earning On Average Wage

karinasnooodles_ Report

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Tee Pussi
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sure, if you can manage not to pay taxes or rent and don't eat for a few decades.

dir_0002 avatar
Scott
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It doesn't say "to save 1 million", just how long it takes "to earn" that amount, how much you spend is irrelevant.

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Joe B Kearns
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Current annual salary in Ireland is €44,000 (https://www.jobted.ie/salary) which works out at 22.6 years to €1 million. Current UK salary is £29,600 (https://uk.jobted.com/salary) (€34,000 at today's rate) which works out at 29 years to €1 million. So either the data is hopelessly out of date or the calcualtions are all wrong. Confidence in the rest of the figures duly shaken

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Phil
Community Member
6 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm guessing the map, or the data they used, is not current. Which is the reason one should always date one's maps!

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sbj
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well Iceland would look like a good place to move to, but wait, there's a downside, Volcanoes

grant-mcinnes avatar
I agree with you but...
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is not super useful because it uses average wage instead of median. Meaning in countries like the UK and Ireland the small number of extremely wealthy skew the number of years downwards (although Ireland does a lot to redistribute income, I don't think that's included here).

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EarthGrowl
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's not hard to make a million in the Western World. I know that sounds crazy but it accumulates with time. You have to spend wisely and manage your money. When I bought my first trucks and trailers (got an insane deal in 2008 when a trucking company slashed 1500 trucks from Its fleet) people who owned their own trucks made around $1.00 to $1.20 per mile. I've driven 1.75 million miles since 2008. But 85% of that goes to fuel, insurance, tax, permits and maintenance.

paulfarrington-douglas avatar
PFD
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pointless map when not adjusted for purchasing power.

rett_2 avatar
Rett
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Could you do one after all taxes including income, VAT, State and local?

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Stefan Muntean
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wow surprisingly accurate, I am from Romania and this map say will take 117 years to earn a mill, just a little above average income and just done the math, would earn aprox 1,2mil in 117 years lol

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Tähtikarhu (he/him) 🇫🇮
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Finland has one year less than Sweden Finland is better lets gooooooo 🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮

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David Stutzmann
Community Member
6 months ago

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Miki
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think it must be old. Right in in Russia it must me like a million years :p

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Nadege Gillieron
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes I live here and everything is crazy expensive and only the rich rich rich can buy a house. I pay 650 in health insurance only for me per month

audreyteresa81 avatar
Audrey Rasmussen
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

yooooooo its MORE reasons to go to switzerland (yes i know its earn not like save up, but still............. nice)

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JustAnotherPanda (she/they/he)
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am HORRIBLE at geography, so im wondering if New York is..on this map?? I am so sorry for this dumb question

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Verena
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For the Netherlands it is sort of correct - "earn" is not the same as "on your bank account". Average wages tend to vanish quickly during the month, due to taxes, payment for housing, commuting, eating, washing, ...

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steven mayes
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Luxembourg says only 14 years. This is a bad statistic because the average wage is determined by dividing the total money earnt in a year by the population who live there. In Luxembourgs case though more than half the working population actually live in Belgium, France and Germany giving a miscalculation to the figures.

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El Dee
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Doesn't take cost of living into account. You could earn the money sooner but still be able to afford less than someone who can't..

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After all, the real landmasses on the planet, which are spherical, don’t translate 1-to-1 on a rectangular map. Certain sections end up stretched and, as a result, appear to be a lot larger than they actually are. Mercator chose to “focus” the map on the northern hemisphere, where locations closer to the “top” of the map would end up seeming larger. Hence Russia and Canada being absolutely gigantic on so many maps. 

#8

How Many % Of People Would Not Want To Live Next Door To Lgbt People?

How Many % Of People Would Not Want To Live Next Door To Lgbt People?

theworldmaps Report

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Sarinz
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wouldn't want to live next door to people who "Would Not Want To Live Next Door To Lgbt People"...

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#9

World Map According To China In 1799

World Map According To China In 1799

Redstream28 Report

In fact, at the time, these maps were specifically created to aid in marine navigation. While it’s quite irrelevant to us, early seafarers could use a Mercator map to get a “straight” bearing when sailing to a new location. On a map that doesn’t use Mercator projection, the bearing would be a curve, representing the curve of the globe.

#10

U.S. States That Have Banned The Most Books (In Autumn 2022)

U.S. States That Have Banned The Most Books (In Autumn 2022)

GaffersB Report

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WindySwede
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

At least it started backfiring in Utah, banning the bible from schools. For content of murder, violence, sexual things etc.

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#11

Percentage Of Population (25-64yrs) In Europe That Cant Speak Any Foreign Language

Percentage Of Population (25-64yrs) In Europe That Cant Speak Any Foreign Language

MardukSyria Report

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TotallyNOTAFox
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

English is mandatory here in Germany, additionally there are usually choices for french and spanish on top

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This sort of map has simply stuck around for hundreds of years, leading many people to draw somewhat incorrect conclusions about the real size of things. We are lucky that Russia and Canada really are the two largest countries, so the distortions don’t seem as bad. Other examples of distortion are the similarity between the UK and Madagascar, despite the latter being nearly twice as large.

#13

Belief In Life After Death In Europe

Belief In Life After Death In Europe

cloudtdaz Report

#14

Average Money Spent On Weddings In US States

Average Money Spent On Weddings In US States

Starry_Night0123 Report

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Bernd Herbert
Community Member
6 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is absolutely wild. Looking at California....this is more than I spent in the last 10 years for various vacations. I'm from Germany, and those vacations included USA & Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, the Seychelles, Mauritius and countless trips within Europe. (Yes, I'm counting my expenses.) I would never ever exchange these experiences with a one-time party. Absolutely absurd!

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#15

Roman Coin Hoards, From The 'Coinage In The Roman Empire' Project — 'Hoards Containing Coinage In Use In The Roman Empire Between 30 B.c. And A.d. 400.'

Roman Coin Hoards, From The 'Coinage In The Roman Empire' Project — 'Hoards Containing Coinage In Use In The Roman Empire Between 30 B.c. And A.d. 400.'

idonotknowtodo Report

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sbj
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Those Romans were very careless with their loose change on their travels

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Even more comically, due to its northerly position, Alaska appears to be roughly the size of Australia, despite the fact that the land down under is almost five times larger. You can find an excellent gif depicting the presented and real size of various nations here

#16

When Is Weekend

When Is Weekend

two_plus_two_is_zero Report

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#17

Asia's Counting System. How Do You Say The Number 57

Asia's Counting System. How Do You Say The Number 57

Mokkasakka Report

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TotallyNOTAFox
Community Member
6 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Blue and yellow are reasonable, the rest seems overly complicated. Edit: Orange, not yellow ^^

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#19

Male Body Hair Distribution Of Indigenous Human Populations Around The World

Male Body Hair Distribution Of Indigenous Human Populations Around The World

Homesanto Report

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Tuesday
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

South Indians are hairy, didn't need a graph to tell me that, just a mirror... sigh. I'm a woman and I'm hairier than my North Indian father

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#20

Sex Ratio

Sex Ratio

Hockputer09 Report

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Tracy Wallick
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And yet, men are treated as the default despite being a smaller percent of the population in the majority of countries.

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#21

Percentage Of Light vs. Brown Hair In European Countries

Percentage Of Light vs. Brown Hair In European Countries

Specific_Ad_097 Report

#22

Most Wasteful Countries In The World

Most Wasteful Countries In The World

flyingcatwithhorns Report

#24

Air Polution In Europe

Air Polution In Europe

therealcup_1 Report

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Monstarr the Divisive
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Whoa... What's happening in nort Italy, Poland and around the Balkans? Why is it so bad there?

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#25

US States By Violent Crime Rate

US States By Violent Crime Rate

Specific_Ad_685 Report

#26

The Countries With The Most Island

The Countries With The Most Island

robertjan88 Report

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BoredPossum
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The islands in Sweden are very very small but numerous. That's why they don't show up on most maps.

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#27

The Most Consumed Type Of Meat By Country Including Fish & Seafood

The Most Consumed Type Of Meat By Country Including Fish & Seafood

giuliomagnifico Report

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WindySwede
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nope, according to 'The Swedish Board of Agriculture', it's poultry meat (when not including sausages, ham and kassler). When you include them (and assuming they are 100% pork meat, pork is #1 by approximately 3,5x compared to fish.

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#28

The Most And Least Happy Countries In The World

The Most And Least Happy Countries In The World

Intelligent_Store0 Report

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R L
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think Israel's view may have changed somewhat in the past weeks.

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#29

Projection Of Water Stress Level By Country In 2040

Projection Of Water Stress Level By Country In 2040

giuliomagnifico Report

#30

Highest Temperature Recorded In Europe Countries

Highest Temperature Recorded In Europe Countries

Redstream28 Report

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pep Ito
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These maps are misleading. They should have shown the point where it was reached and the temperature by zones. As it appears on the map it seems that all of Spain reached 47 degrees when it was in the south of Spain and probably in the northern half the temperatures were. By far lower

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Note: this post originally had 54 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.